Candida auris spreads easily in healthcare facilities and causes high death rates

Mapping the spread of a dangerous fungus growing in US healthcare facilities

Explore the data showing how the fungus C. auris has spread in the US, with more than 10,000 reported cases since 2016. Recommended steps to prevent infections and limit their spread have been successful in some areas, but infection control remains complicated because the fungus is often now multidrug-resistant.

19 fungal pathogens are of key concern to world health officials

In 2022, this global health body issued its first-ever list of top fungal threats to human health. It said fungal threats are spreading and occurring more frequently. The WHO’s list included 19 fungal pathogens to watch, and said that the most dangerous ones to public health are Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, and Candida auris. There are only a handful of classes of medication currently available to combat fungal pathogens, with few others in the pipeline even though antimicrobial resistance is growing.

The most critical superbug strains (as of 2024)

The World Health Organization updated its list of the highest priority pathogens known to have developed antimicrobial resistance. Topping the 2024 update is Acinetobacter baumannii, carbapenem-resistant ("CRAB"), which has a mortality rate close to 50% and has evolved defenses against last-line medications. Download the full report here.

Drug-resistant staph infection is one of the deadliest superbugs

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)—the superbug version of staph infection—is responsible for more deaths than any other superbug, killing more than 120,000 people globally each year. The bug is leading cause of hospital infections, and is harmless on the skin but causes severe symptoms once inside the body.

Fungal diseases cost the US around $19B annually

Estimates derived from health insurance claims, death certificates, and hospitalization data suggest that fungus is a significant medical issue. Each year, fungal diseases kill some 7,300 people—roughly the same number of deaths attributed to motor vehicles striking pedestrians. Around 130,000 people are hospitalized with fungal diseases, and the total national cost from fungal diseases is estimated to be about $19B—a figure that roughly matches Jamaica's entire gross domestic product.

Cryptococcus neoformans, a growing threat, causes infections in the brain and lungs

This inhalable, microscopic pathogen is found worldwide. It rarely causes illness, but it can take root in those with compromised immune systems, including people with advanced HIV/AIDS. Symptoms of cryptococcal infection—such as a stiff neck, vomiting, and confusion—can begin weeks or months after breathing in spores, though sometimes symptoms won’t appear for years. There are no known cases of transmission between people or between people and animals.

Candida albicans is a natural body-dwelling yeast, but it can cause yeast infections

This fungus is naturally occurring on the body, but C. albicans can become a problem when the natural balance of bacteria on the body is off-kilter, allowing this yeast to spread. It can cause anything from diaper rash to a yeast infection in the throat or vagina. It’s typically treated with doctor-prescribed antifungal medications.

Most people breathe fungal spores daily without getting sick

Most people breathe in hundreds of Aspergillus fumigatus spores daily without getting sick—it’s a common microscopic fungus in our environment. But people who are severely ill, including those who have undergone an organ transplant, are at risk of developing infections from these spores.

COVID accelerated antibiotic resistance

The COVID-19 pandemic was caused by a virus, and viruses can’t be treated with antibiotics. But recent research finds that COVID patients were given a tremendous amount of antibiotics, contributing to the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Why? This NPR feature sheds light on an unexpected side effect of the pandemic.

Sepsis is the leading cause of death in hospitals

Sepsis is the result of an overly aggressive immune system trying to combat infection, triggering inflammation throughout the body. After it begins, each passing hour increases the risk of death by 4% to 9%, and an estimated 350,000 people die from the condition in the US each year.

Explore what it's like Inside a patient isolation unit

Containing a contagious disease like Ebola requires strict protective measures. There are several specialized medical wards to contain deadly infectious diseases at hospitals across the U.S. Emory University has one such unit, where 4 patients were treated during the 2014 outbreak.

Watch an expert's take on the rare disease hantavirus—and why it's not of great concern to the general population

This rare zoonotic disease, transmitted to humans primarily through infected rodent droppings, urine, or saliva, is rarely spread between people. The disease was of particular concern in spring 2026, when an outbreak occurred on a 150-person cruise ship, prompting a flurry of action, including contact tracing for passengers in their home countries. The disease can be fatal. But early care—primarily oxygen support—can help patients survive.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease spreads easily—including via fomites

The common ailment spreads through respiratory droplets, touching infected secretions like poop, but also by touching virus-laden fomites, which are contaminated objects such as doorknobs or toys.

There were more than 20 reported cruise ship outbreaks in 2025

A cruise ship outbreak is officially considered an outbreak when 3% or more of the people aboard a ship report being sick with gastrointestinal illness. It happens often enough that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a whole program just related to tracking such foodborne illness outbreaks.

Watch Cordyceps, a parasitic fungus, turn an ant into a ‘zombie’

This National Geographic TV clip shows how a parasitic Cordyceps species—sometimes colloquially called the “zombie ant fungus”—controls an ant’s behavior and kills its host. The fungus can rapidly wipe out entire insect colonies.

Human-to-human transmission of hantavirus remains extremely rare, so the 2026 hantavirus cruise ship outbreak doesn't mean we're facing a COVID-style pandemic risk.

Extreme weather conditions heighten cholera risks in settings like refugee camps

Runoff from sewage—exacerbated by situations like flooding or extreme rains—heightens this threat. Increasing temperatures also create the ideal conditions for the bacteria to reproduce, increasing transmission risks.

Hospitals have been adding weapon detection systems to emergency rooms in response to violence

Healthcare workers are five times more likely to experience violence at work than employees in other industries, according to pre-pandemic federal data. Yet, despite growing awareness of these threats, fewer than one in three hospitals have installed metal detectors.

Explore what it's like inside a patient isolation unit, used in situations such as treating a patient or suspected patient with Ebola.

How Alzheimer’s disease becomes fatal

Despite more than 100,000 people with Alzheimer's dying each year, the specific cause of death is not the disease itself. Often, secondary diseases arise from complications with the disease, including pneumonia, severe falls, malnutrition, or infection. Read more about the range of complications caused by Alzheimer’s here.

Rabies is nearly 100% fatal once symptoms appear

Rabies, a viral disease attacking the central nervous system, is nearly always fatal once symptoms appear. It spreads through the infected animal saliva (typically through bites) and causes encephalitis, leading to severe neurological symptoms and death. See how the lyssavirus—the bugs behind rabies—work once inside the body.

Cultural norms about how to handle the bodies of loved ones have hampered Ebola responses in West Africa

Awareness of local burial and grieving traditions eventually helped healthcare workers fight the spread of the virus. As healthcare workers and burial teams altered their procedures during the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak, and as community leaders pressed people to adapt traditional ceremonies, the spread of Ebola began to slow.

How scientists are using molecules found in acidophiles to develop new medical treatments

The Berkeley Pit, an open-pit copper mine in Butte, Montana, that ceased operations in 1982 and is now filled with highly acidic water, is home to various species of fungi and yeast. These extremophiles produce unique compounds that may have anti-inflammatory benefits and have already been used to create an antibiotic for staph infections.

Listen to why extensive ear rinsing can create problems

The clinician who hosts this podcast discusses how his patient developed swimmer's ear after he flooded his ears with water during his daily showers, ostensibly to clean them. The resulting itchy, painful ears were the result of removing protective earwax in the ear and also altering the typical pH of the ear.

New species of bacteria discovered in Chinese space station

A new space-adapted bacteria species, Niallia tiangongensis, was discovered on China's Tiangong space station. The bacteria display a heightened oxidative stress response and unique biofilm-forming abilities that assist them in healing from to radiation-based damage.

Invasive species may harm new ecosystems via the spread of disease

Besides damaging native species through direct interactions such as competition for resources and predation, invasive species may come from environments with greater biodiversity than the new environment. This makes them more likely to carry pathogens unfamiliar to native species, increasing the risk of biodiversity loss.

Most flu cases are treated at home, but antivirals help high-risk patients

Rest, fluids and common medicines usually ease influenza symptoms. For people at higher risk of complications, doctors may prescribe antiviral drugs, which work best when started soon after symptoms begin.

Cultural norms about how to handle the bodies of loved ones in communities in West Africa have hampered Ebola responses.

The use of fungi to detoxify land and water—a process known as mycoremediation—has been used to clean up natural resources affected by the 2025 California wildfires.

Volcanic activity may have triggered the Black Death by spewing gases that led to crop failures in Europe, thus forcing the import of grain ships with plague-infested fleas.

Between 10 million and 50 million people in the US develop rashes from poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak each year.

See images of medical cases of firework injuries shared on this 'Instagram for doctors.' (Warning: Graphic content)

Fear or disgust related to clusters of holes and cracks, called trypophobia, may stem from evolutionary processes to help us avoid pathogens.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.

Astronauts have repaired genetic damage in space using CRISPR—a molecular tool that can make precise changes to DNA and is used in single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses.

The American cockroach is actually from Africa, an apparent hitchhiker aboard ships carrying enslaved people, with evidence suggesting the bug may have arrived in the New World as early as the 1600s.

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

Budweiser stores yeast derived from the original 1800s strain in a secret bunker, which only the Head of Yeast Management can access—not even the CEO

Discover the catastrophic consequences of a failure of the US electrical grid—something that is more likely than many Americans think.

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

Hotels in Cannes, the glamorous city on the French Riviera, hire hawks to ward off seagulls during the city's famous film festival.

Louisiana's 'Cancer Alley' is infamous for having some of the highest industrial pollution, toxic air emissions, and cancer risks in the US.

When caught in the mouths of cardinal fish, seed shrimp release glowing, bioluminescent chemicals, which alert predators of the cardinal fish, prompting the shrimp's ejection.

In 2018, 26-year-old missionary John Allen Chau was killed by tribesmen after attempting to reach and evangelize on India's isolated North Sentinel Island

US intelligence allegedly pursued more than 600 schemes to assassinate Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro.

Alzheimer's can lead to brain shrinkage, with an average of around 2% of volume reduction per year

The distributor behind 'Rocky Horror' pulled the film from its scheduled national release, believing it would be a failure, though it eventually amassed a dedicated fanbase through midnight showings, a trend that continues over 50 years later.

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.